The Western Conference Finals began with a bang on Monday night, when the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Game 1 to the San Antonio Spurs in a nail-biter.
The double OT thriller prompted one of the league’s prominent figures, Lakers legend Magic Johnson, to send out a bold warning to the rest of the conference.
Magic Johnson Warns Western Conference About Spurs and Thunder Dominance
The Lakers legend watched Victor Wembanyama drop 41 points and 24 rebounds in the 122-115 2OT win. The Spurs got the better of the defending champions, stealing one on the road from the reigning back-to-back MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Johnson’s take was not just on this thriller of a game, but a warning that might not land softly anywhere in the Western Conference.
“I hate to break the news to the rest of the Western Conference, but they may not have a chance to win the Western Conference Finals for the next 5-7 years,” Johnson wrote. “The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are just that good! They are talented, deep, athletic and both teams are well coached.”
In a separate tweet, Johnson also handed out individual flowers, labeling Wemby’s Game 1 “an incredible show.”
He also noted Wemby scored “from everywhere on the basketball court,” including a “Steph Curry like 3 pointer down the stretch.”
So, is Johnson’s warning hyperbole? Not exactly.
Wemby’s Game 1 wasn’t a one-off.
As reported by Jared Weiss, his 40-20 effort in the conference finals or later is seventh in NBA history. He now joins the elite club of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaquille O’Neal.
The French phenom is also the youngest player ever to post such incredible numbers in any playoff game, plus the first Spur to do it since David Robinson.
The Thunder had closed the Lakers’ series 115-110 in Game 4 behind 35 points from Gilgeous-Alexander.
In Game 1, however, Oklahoma City’s offense was uncharacteristically quiet, with Gilgeous-Alexander recording 24 points, Jalen Williams pouring in 26, and Alex Caruso with a team-high 31 from the bench.
In this context, Johnson’s message is also a stark warning to Luka Doncic, who sat out the entire playoff series due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and LeBron James, whose future remains unsettled heading into the offseason.
If Magic’s predictions come true, the 5- to 7-year timeline will start to hurt the entire Lakers squad as it covers most of what’s left of James’ career and Doncic’s prime years.
It also tells the Lakers’ front office that they can no longer simply run it back and patch the roster with another big addition.
